Model author credit incorrect

[coldcanuck]

On the advice of one of the forum sages, I had decided to configure all my model’s author credit feature with my user name.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that, out of the 158 models in my account, two thirds of them already had a username.
Nathan

I don’t know of any Nathan and he sure didn’t build of my models, including one of my own house.
I spent part of yesterday and today replacing the models with the original files (after having saved my own username to each), but my real concern is how did this happen?

I change my account password on a semi-regular basis and I never use the totally secure “password”.
I am the only one to have access to this PC.

While my situation does appear to be similar to another posted question by “josemanuelvirella”, the difference is that these models never left my account.

So does anyone have an idea what happened?

Cheers,

C.C.

[john_drivenupthewall]

@coldcanuck

how did this happen?

did you, unknowingly, use a Template saved with Nathan claiming authorship?

john

[coldcanuck]

That was the first thing I checked, but the authorship option was empty, that’s why another Sage was recommending I apply authorship.

[Aerilius]

Can you link to an simple example file that we can inspect?

Very basic question: Did you include any components from the Warehouse in these models?
John’s proposal that the credits got once transfered (saved to) your template would have explained that all new models have these credits.

Credits is the only non-modifiable attribute, and quite difficult to fix. When you say replaced the affected files (in the Warehouse) with the original file (from your computer), then you mean the files on your computer are not credited to “Nathan”? Do you remember when you first uploaded the models?

[coldcanuck]

This link points to one of my simplest models that has no components yet is still bearing the author credit: Nathan".

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/5794c7b5-7679-4e3b-8a3c-c1eb8f923510/Tissue-Box-model.

On the rare occasions where I have either modified another author’s model or used a component, I’ve always tried to provide a link to that author’s model page…fair is fair.

As to the chance that the default template being the source of the issue, if true, the name would have still been in the template when I first checked it…I usually assign a nice “clean” default then leave it alone, I don’t mess with it.

Correct, the models on my computer are not credited to Nathan. BUT…I’ll take another look at my secondary backup, just to be certain that I’m not wrong.

Thanks,

C.C.

[Aerilius]

The model has credits on the top level (model) and none of the component definitions have any credits.

GSU_ContributorsInfo
  LastModifiedByKey: ""
  NicknamesKey: ["Nathan"]
  UserIdsKey: ["06490586038350753979"]
  VersionKey: 1000

3D Warehouse uses different IDs now, but I could find that of all the Nathans this one has the same id. His account was created on 19th February 2014, the new 3D Warehouse was published on 3rd March 2014.

Have you ever used any of his components?

[coldcanuck]

The model titled “Door and Window Trim” looks familiar, but I’ve been making my own trim for more than a year, and I’ve done a routine windoze wipe and reinstall twice in that time.
ANY time I install a new version of Sketch Up, I setup a new default template as a part of the application install.

Clearly that model has played some big part in all this, but I fail to understand why Nathan’s model became a part of so many models and from different periods of my model-making, even brand new ones…just a little strange, eh?

I’ll be sure to check ALL of my models for any remnants of this author’s name.

Thanks for your assistance.

Cheers,

C.C.

[DaveR]

I wonder if it would be easier to change your name to Nathan.

This is a strange thing. Is it possible the credit is being attached from your Warehouse account instead of in SketchUp. If that nickname key was somehow attached to an early model, would that carry over into newer ones when you upload them?

[coldcanuck]

I wonder if it would be easier to change your name to Nathan.

It 'd certainly cut down on my work, eh :-}

If that nickname key was somehow attached to an early model

Since all of those same models that I just re-uploaded to my account showed no signs of his name, it does make me wonder how and where the files are being changed.

I’m curious…when updating to a new version of Sketch Up, does the new installer re-use the previous default template?
Or just automatically assign a predefined file?

Cheers,

C.C.

[Aerilius]

No it doesn’t reuse files of another installation because it installs a major version in a new folder.

So the hypothesis are:

• In the specific model, a component credited to Nathan was inserted and somehow the component’s credit transfered as model credit (normally component credits are listed separately). As you said you didn’t use components from him, also it does not explain the amount of affected models.
• A model that received credits as written above was saved as template, which then “infected” all subsequently created new models. As you said, you created from time to time fresh templates starting from a clean template provided by SketchUp, so this is also unlikely.
• Something might have been incorrectly processed in 3D Warehouse, for example during the transition from the Google-era to the new 3D Warehouse or when transitioning to new user ids or when converting file versions.

Credits are stored in the model as an attribute that can not be writeable (except by the SketchUp core). The 3D Warehouse probably read that attribute and stores it additionally in a database (credits were originally listed on the model page, but not anymore).

---

There is one small detail that you mention: You re-uploaded the Tissue-Box-model4 and you said your local backup did not have the attribute. But the version I downloaded has the attribute inside the skp file. So it cannot be the exactly same, unmodified file and some processing by 3D Warehouse must have occured.

Can you help confirm this? Open your unaffected local copy, open Window → Ruby console and paste the following and press enter:

Sketchup.active_model.attribute_dictionaries['GSU_ContributorsInfo'].each{ |k, v| puts("#{k}: #{v}") }

If your local copy has no credits, can you also re-upload it as a copy by removing the link to your previous uploaded version:

Sketchup.active_model.attribute_dictionaries['3DWarehouse']['ModelID'] = nil

When downloading the new version, does it have the credits attribute?

[coldcanuck]

I got this response from the console:

LastModifiedByKey:
VersionKey: 1000

It wasn’t until very recently that I began to care about applying author credit to my own models, so it stands to reason that I should have been paying more attention.

In a month or three, I had planned on wiping and reinstalling windoze and all the programs I use regularly…I think NOW would be a great time to do so. I’ll isolate all Sketch Up-associated files on a backup then reintroduce them in the order of creation.

I’ve rechecked all (but two) recently uploaded models, so whatever is causing this, it isn’t on the storage servers.

I think I’ve wasted enough of your time on what appears to be an oversight on my part.
I’ll commit to doing the wipe this weekend and keep watching the local and remote files. If anything looks off again, I’ll re-post here.

Sound reasonable?

C.C.